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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29864496">Loose ends and open doors</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Beleriandings/pseuds/Beleriandings'>Beleriandings</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Torchwood</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Gen, Series 03 Fix-It: Children of Earth (Torchwood)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-03-05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-03-05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-16 01:08:41</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>888</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29864496</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Beleriandings/pseuds/Beleriandings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>In her cell after everything is over, Lois has a visitor.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Lois Habiba &amp; Ianto Jones</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>25</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Loose ends and open doors</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    
<p></p><div class="">
<p></p><div class=""><p>"Miss Habiba?"</p></div><div class=""><p>Lois started at the voice, sitting up from where she'd been napping in the corner to see the man she recognised from the screen, though she'd never seen him in the flesh. "Oh, Mister Jones!" she said, a little alarmed; he had opened her cell door apparently soundlessly, and she was already feeling a little jumpy to say the least. Still, she tried to sit up straight and smooth the rumples from her clothes and push back her hair behind her ears as best she could, feeling rather the worse for wear after several days in a cell. "I'm sorry, I didn't see you there!"</p></div><div class=""><p>"Of course. And please do call me Ianto."</p></div><div class=""><p>"Call me Lois, in that case."</p></div><div class=""><p>He inclined his head and smiled his acquiescence, perfectly polite. "Lois, I'm here on behalf of Captain Jack Harkness, of Torchwood Three."</p></div><div class=""><p>"Ah... yes, I suppose you are."</p></div><div class=""><p>"He sends his apologies for not coming in person. He had a family matter to attend to. Gwen and Rhys also say hello, and pass on their regards, but we've all been so busy with the clean-up operation. Tying up loose ends, you know."</p></div><div class=""><p>"There must be a lot of those."</p></div><div class=""><p>"Oh, you wouldn't believe how many. You're one of them, actually."</p></div><div class=""><p>"Of course," she said, biting her lip and trying not to let her nervousness show. She smiled weakly. "Let me guess... I know too much to be allowed to just walk around after this."</p></div><div class=""><p>"I'm afraid so." He took a long, solemn look around her cell, then raised an eyebrow. "Not that there seems to be very far to walk from here."</p></div><div class=""><p>"There isn't," she sighed, before the implication of his agreement occurred to her. Her head snapped upwards in sudden fear. "...Oh my God. What are you going to do to me?" Suddenly she was very aware that it was just the two of them in the cell, and he was blocking the only exit. There were guards outside, but if they'd let him in here at all that meant that Torchwood was back in the government's good graces. He could do anything to her, make her disappear and no one would be any the wiser.</p></div><div class=""><p>But instead he just smiled, edging to the side to sit down next to her on the bench. "Nothing so terrible as all that!" he reassured her hastily. "I was going to discuss a job offer."</p></div><div class=""><p>"...Oh. Um." She blinked. "A job offer for me? To work for Torchwood?"</p></div><div class=""><p>"That was the idea, yes."</p></div><div class=""><p>"But I'm in prison!"</p></div><div class=""><p>"And I'm getting you out."</p></div><div class=""><p>"Okay..." she frowned. "Is there an interview? Do I need to submit a CV somewhere?"</p></div><div class=""><p>"Nope. CVs are too easy to fake... Jack prefers to hire on the basis of practically demonstrable skills, and you certainly have those in spades."</p></div><div class=""><p>"Oh. Thank you."</p></div><div class=""><p>"...Also, he had me do a thorough background check on you. If there was anything iffy, if you were hiding even the smallest thing, we'd know. I wouldn't be here then."</p></div><div class=""><p>"I see," she said, slightly disconcerted by his earnest and friendly smile as he uttered what in any other context would seem like a very thinly veiled threat; from him, from Torchwood, it just sounded like a statement of fact.</p></div><div class=""><p>"So? Yes or no?"</p></div><div class=""><p>She blinked. "Um. Okay, yes." She supposed it was better than staying here in prison. But even as she had the thought, she realised it wasn't just that; if these people - whom she'd already thrown in with, at the cost of everything, she reminded herself - saved the world every day, if they spent their time righting wrongs like the ones she had witnessed this week, then as afraid as she had been, she knew there was nothing else she could do but join them and keep fighting.</p></div><div class=""><p>"Yes," she said, a little more firmly. "Thank you, I accept."</p></div><div class=""><p>He smiled, standing up again. "I'm glad to hear it. I already took the liberty of having your release paperwork sorted..."</p></div><div class=""><p>"Efficient."</p></div><div class=""><p>He inclined his head. "Thank you, I try my best." He paused at the door, with a <em>follow me</em> gesture.</p></div><div class=""><p>A little shakily, Lois got to her feet and stepped out into the corridor, Ianto falling into step beside her.</p></div><div class=""><p>"And just so you know," he said conversationally as they walked along the corridor, "we're not like the office you worked for in government. ...We tend to prefer memory modification, over outright elimination these days," he said. "Much less of a mess. And I should know, since it's typically my job to clean up messes."</p></div><div class=""><p>"Oh... I see."</p></div><div class=""><p>He kept a completely straight face for a full few seconds, before starting to laugh at what Lois was sure was her expression of horror. "Really, though," he said, eyes crinkling warmly with a real smile. "I promise it's not as bad as that. Or at least, Jack's been changing it for the better. Gwen and I help. I know you will too." They had reached the end of the corridor, and Ianto held the heavy, secure block door open for her, nodding politely to the huge, burly guards on either side, who looked none too pleased but did not challenge him.</p></div><div class=""><p>"Come on," he said, gesturing to the corridor up ahead, beyond which lay the way out. "I'll show you."</p></div></div>
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